


The Tell-Tale Bells

by ArkadyLady



Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: F/M, otp: talon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 14:43:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5748361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArkadyLady/pseuds/ArkadyLady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Talia adopts a kitten, but G is not immediately sold on the tiny ball of fur.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Tell-Tale Bells

**Author's Note:**

> Requested by Hannah, many months ago

“You bought...a cat?” 

G was currently eyeing the tiny kitten Talia had just placed down in a cat bed.  She had called and told him he should come over because she was bringing home something dark-haired and precious, and he assumed it was another instance of her talking about herself.  What she saw as precious, he saw as a black ball of fuzz in motion.  The kitten was kneading the soft lining of the cat bed and going in circles while Talia emptied a bag of toys and placed them near it.

“I didn’t buy her. I adopted her,” Talia corrected him. 

“So she was free?”

Talia, still kneeling beside her newest addition and unloading some goodies, just shook her head. “No, there was a fee.”

“A fee? As in a cost? That’s buying.”

“O.M., G!” she said, shooting him her trademark look: eyes that said annoyed, smirk that suggested slight, simultaneous amusement.  He was pretty sure the amusement this time was with herself because she always seemed to enjoy her own puns on his name -- even the ones she used multiple times a day.  He could usually smile at some of them, as well. If anything, he was amused at how much _she_  enjoyed them.  

One of her favorites was calling his expressions “Reaction G-IFs.”  He had always smiled and and shook his head, pretending to be in on the joke.  After the fifth time, though, he finally asked Eric what it meant. He had heard him use the term before, so he figured he knew.  (Nell overheard, and this only resulted in some debate about pronunciation.  G was quick to excuse himself to do paperwork.)

“So what encouraged this _purchase_ of yours?”

 “Really?” she asked.  G just replied with a smirk. Somedays it was almost as if they were having a friendly competition of which one could get under the other one’s skin more.  He knew he’d be getting retaliation at some point, and, in an odd way, he always looked forward to it.  He was sure she did, as well.  

“I had a cat when I was a little girl. I haven’t since then, and I always blamed the job.  When I was playing with Monty a while back, I realized how much I missed it. I talked to Deeks about having a pet with this job. He’s somehow made it work, and cats are lower maintenance compared to dogs.  I figured, ‘Why not?’”  

G nodded in silence as Talia still seemed to be unpacking. 

“How much stuff did you buy? I wouldn’t call something that requires all of that low maintenance, Talia.” 

“She doesn’t _require_  it, G. I’m just treating my girl, making sure she has some of the finer things in life. Oh, speaking of which...” Talia reached back in the bag and pulled out a stuffed animal. “This is G-raffe. He’ll keep her company while I’m at work.”  She placed the stuffed giraffe down by the kitten and then scratched behind its ear. “Won’t he, sweet K.K.?”

“K.K.? That’s her name?”

“Oh, my, G. Someone sounds judgmental today. Yes. Her name is K.K. It stands for Kitty Kat.” 

G looked disgusting and rolled his eyes. “Oh, no. Don’t tell me you misspell things for ‘cute’ alliteration.”

“G-sus, dude. No. And glad you’d be okay with it if I did.”  She smirked.  “No, ‘Kat’ is short for Katherine: the name of my grandmother’s dog I loved as much as my own cat growing up.  She’s Kat, but the feline one.”

“So why isn’t she Cat Kat?”  

Talia sighed. “K.K. sounds better, you dork. And I want her to have a letter-y name, as an ode to you. It’s like a family tradition.”  She smiled at G. 

G realized he made a slight twitch around his mouth on the word “family,” which reminded him the relationship was getting rather serious.  He knew Talia well enough to know that she wanted to see him react to that.  He also knew Talia well enough to know that there’s a chance it might be impossible to know if she was screwing with him or not.

“And, I am also willing to go by ‘T.’” On this, her eyes lit up and a huge smile spread across her face. “Ohhhh! You could be ‘Mr. T’ if you wanted! We could pity all the fools together.” She winked at him.

G scoffed at this and shook his head. 

“Come on, Mr. T.  Come over and pet K.K. She is very sweet and doesn’t scratch. I think. At least not me.” 

“I, uh, I’ll pass. I’m sorry, Talia. I’ve never been a big cat person.” 

He was expecting her to look disappointed, but instead her countenance bore confusion. 

She stood up and walked over to him. “I don’t know why you don’t like cats.”

“It’s not that I don’t _like_  them. It’s...I’m just not a cat person.” 

“Actually, that’s what’s throwing me off. The thing is, you _are_  a cat person.  Well, a person cat, rather.”

“A ‘person cat’?”

Talia nodded.  “Yes, a person a cat: a cat in human form.  You have a lot in common with cats.”

G rolled his eyes. “Ugh. Why do people keep telling me that? First Sam. Then Deeks. And Kensi agreed.”

"Well, it doesn’t take a _G-_ nius to figure that out. Let’s see,” Talia began.  “First off, you are seen as introverted, but actually selectively social.  You enjoy company, but when it’s on your own terms.  Similar to you and affection. You aren’t always affectionate, but when you are, it’s sincere and very sweet.  You’re capable of being independent and on your own, but it’s still always a good rule of thumb to check in with you on occasion.  You love to catch and hunt things, well, people. I mean, that’s your job.  Oh, and...” Talia moved in closer to G and then suddenly started tickling his stomach. “You let someone scratch your belly when you trust them.”  

She was giggling as G squirmed and pushed her hands away.    

“Fine, fine,” G conceded.  “I’m a person cat. However, I’m still _not_  a cat person.” 

Talia just smirked.  “Okay.” 

* * *

G made his way to his desk after entering the bullpen.  Sam was already in, and Kensi and Deeks were pulling up as he was leaving his car.  

“Good morning, G.” 

“Morning, Sam.” 

G put his bag on his desk, which caused some tiny bells to ring.  G’s face filled with immediate embarrassment as he knew Sam had heard.  He decided to try and ignore it and take his seat. 

Sam looked over and smirked. “What do you have in there, G?”

“Just...celebrating Christmas a little early.” 

Sam’s face clearly indicated he wasn’t buying it and wanted a better explanation. 

“I guess,” G began, “that one of K.K.’s toys got into my bag when I was at Talia’s.”

“Ah,” Sam replied. “Sure. Got into your bag.” 

Kensi and Deeks were just walking in, and G decided to veer the conversation towards them. 

“Kensi! Deeks! How’s the morning going for you two?”

Kensi and Deeks exchanged a quick look before going to their respective desks.  They both said “Fine,” and then exchanged another look. 

“How’s, uh, you’re morning going, Callen?” asked Deeks.

“Great.” G nodded and looked down at his computer.

“Callen has cat toys in his bag.” Sam informed their coworkers. 

Kensi and Deeks seemed amused with this. 

“Oh, so you have something for K.K.?” asked Kensi. She was finally getting used to calling the cat “K.K.,” and Deeks seemed less prone to tease her about the shared nickname.  They still debated, though, over whether or not Talia named the cat after her.

“Like I told Sam, one of her toys probably fell into my bag.” 

“That sounded like multiple toys, though.” 

G was facing grins from all of those around him.  He finally admitted, “Fine. I bought her some new toys. It’s been a few months, and she needs new ones. It’s just to help Talia out.  That’s the only reason.” 

“Sure, G. Sure.” Sam winked.  

G rolled his eyes and moved the bag under his desk -- carefully, to keep it silent this time. 

It was true. He had a pack of new cat toys in his bag. He also fully planned to keep selling it as just thoughtfulness. What he _wouldn’t_ tell them, though, was that he also had a stuffed bear he had bought for her. Named Sammy.    


End file.
